study schedule for comlex

[Believe2008]

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Hi!
Our school unfortunatly only gives us 1.5wks to study for COMLEX All of the schedules that I have found online are for USMLE where the schools give a whole month to study...i.g.they are studying 14hrs/day for 4wks before the exam.
Does anyone have a detailed (hour per hour) schedule that they used/are using?
Thanks

 

[NDsUltimateJugg]

I'm trying to figure this out as well. And there's no way I'm going to class in this mess, even if I do live in The Pines.

 

[medhacker]

This previous thread might help:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=466772

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

Wow. 1.5 weeks. That sucks. I'd get my classmates together and petition to the administration about this ridiculousness. If the 1.5 weeks stands as is, I'd skip all classes and shoot for 75's in all my classes. That would free up extra time that I'd spend on boards studying.

Of course you have no choice at this point but to start early. Since you're going to be balancing class and boards studying even up to 2 weeks before you take Step 1, I'd recommend you start boards prep around 3 MONTHS in advance. Devote at least a SOLID 3-4 hours a day of reading and doing questions on USMLEWORLD.

Don't go crazy with the review books. Focus on FA, BRS or RR Path, BRS Physio and HY Neuroanatomy. If you want to take the USMLE also get HY Cell & Mol Bio (1999 edition, not the new one) and go through that as well.

G'luck!

 

[DragonWell]

Hi!
Our school unfortunatly only gives us 1.5wks to study for COMLEX All of the schedules that I have found online are for USMLE where the schools give a whole month to study...i.g.they are studying 14hrs/day for 4wks before the exam.
Does anyone have a detailed (hour per hour) schedule that they used/are using?
Thanks

What school is this, if you don't mind me asking?

I would seriously consider trying to schedule a vacation month, or somehow juggle rotations to give yourself more time to devote to board study.

 

[NDsUltimateJugg]

CCOM.

Our last final's 5/12, then we've got a review course that the faculty puts on for us for the next 4 days for 8hrs/day. And we've gotta take COMLEX within 45 days of our last final or something like that which sounds fine but our rotations start 6/9. And there's this 2.5 week gap where COMLEX isn't offered so we can either take it by 5/24 or we can take it during our first rotation. I've got surgery, so methinks I won't have much study time available, I'm taking it 5/22.

To be fair, our class schedule for the spring quarter drops off quite a bit from where we're at now; it averages out to only about 4 hours of class a day and I think we're done by noon 3 days a week. But then Wed/Thurs are basically 8-5. So plenty of boards study time will be there, it's just a matter of being disciplined enough to force ourselves to keep looking over it all the time. And our Path and Pharm finals in the spring are cumulative so there's 2 subjects that we'd be constantly looking at regardless of when our boards are.

But yeah, the more I read SDN and see people 'I finish class in April and don't start rotations til August, so I've got tons of time to do 11,000 qbank questions and review FA 5 times!' it makes me realize how much I've got cut out for me.

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

CCOM.

Our last final's 5/12, then we've got a review course that the faculty puts on for us for the next 4 days for 8hrs/day. And we've gotta take COMLEX within 45 days of our last final or something like that which sounds fine but our rotations start 6/9. And there's this 2.5 week gap where COMLEX isn't offered so we can either take it by 5/24 or we can take it during our first rotation. I've got surgery, so methinks I won't have much study time available, I'm taking it 5/22.

To be fair, our class schedule for the spring quarter drops off quite a bit from where we're at now; it averages out to only about 4 hours of class a day and I think we're done by noon 3 days a week. But then Wed/Thurs are basically 8-5. So plenty of boards study time will be there, it's just a matter of being disciplined enough to force ourselves to keep looking over it all the time. And our Path and Pharm finals in the spring are cumulative so there's 2 subjects that we'd be constantly looking at regardless of when our boards are.

But yeah, the more I read SDN and see people 'I finish class in April and don't start rotations til August, so I've got tons of time to do 11,000 qbank questions and review FA 5 times!' it makes me realize how much I've got cut out for me.

Ok, doesn't sound so bad actually. You can definitely bang this thing out. Just make a study plan and try your best to stick to it. Become an academic soldier of sorts (sounds dorky, I know).

Most of those people who completed 11,000+ questions before taking Step 1 started studying in January. I know this b/c I've read their study strategies and have used it myself..

I agree. Don't schedule your COMLEX during surgery rotation.

 

[medhacker]

I agree. Don't schedule your COMLEX during surgery rotation.

How about scheduling during a "softer" rotation SAIB, do you think that could be a good idea?

 

[DragonWell]

I'm taking it on 5/22 also, and our last day of class is 4/16. It's really too bad there aren't more times available for COMLEX, esp. in late May early June when most students are taking it.

I think there's some good advice in this thread about using your time well. There's also a schedule floating around called the Penn Method which incorporates a 5 day intensive review. Might get you started.

Good luck!

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

How about scheduling during a "softer" rotation SAIB, do you think that could be a good idea?

We get plenty of time to study for boards at PCOM so I'm not sure why you'd want the spill over time into rotations.

BUT, if you think you need the extra time, then yeah it shouldn't be too big of a deal if you take it say 2-3 weeks into a LIGHT rotation (8am to 3-4pm type of schedule. No call).

Ideally though, you want to get this damn test over with before you start 3rd year. You'll feel so much more relieved and ready to move on with your life.

 

[Taus]

Ideally though, you want to get this damn test over with before you start 3rd year. You'll feel so much more relieved and ready to move on with your life.

Agree 100%.

I had an elective first so I took 2 weeks off/vacation to study for the boards. I started studying at the beginning of 3rd trimester (sometime in March I think...that whole period is a blur..) and was so burned out by the end that my only motivation to keep studying until my test date was to not screw up and waste all that time I've put in so far. I could have taken the boards over a month earlier then I did and done just as well (based on the NBME diagnostic exams).

Set your date before rotations and start studying a few months before it and you'll be fine. No one will care if your class grades dropped a little at the end of 2nd year if you have a kick-a$$ boards score. On the flip side....straight A's in your last few months of classes and a crappy board score can cause problems.